Gold-washing apparatus



No. 6l3,494. Patented Nov. I, I898. e. H. CHICK.

GOLD WASHING APPARATUS.

(Apph at on fll dAp 21 1898.\

(No Model.)

A A a w 2 91 1 woe/o,

UNITED STATES GEORGE H. CHICK, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF GUSTAV ZANDER, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA.

PATENT OFFICE.

GOLD-WASHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,494, dated November1, 1898.

A li ti fil a April 21, 1898. Serial No- 6'78,8Z9. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,GEORGE H. CHIOK,a citi-. zen of the United States,residing at Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California, haveinvented an Improvement in Gold-Washing Apparatus; and I hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to apparatus for saving gold. 4 It is especiallydesigned to be used by prospectors and those operating in a small Way inwashing out gold from the sand and earth with which it may be foundmixed.

It consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of partswhich I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a lateral section on line as a;of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail of one of the riffles.

In the devices which are ordinarily used by miners and prospectors forworking auriferous sand and gravel in comparatively small quantities thepan and the rocker have been prominent, the latter being capable ofworking considerable quantities of material at a charge; but theobjection to this device is that the material must be worked in charges,the rocking operation serving to gradually separate the sand and lightermaterial from the gold, which settles to the bottom, and after a certaintime the whole work must be stopped and the device be cleaned up, thusmaking considerable delay.

My invention is designed to provide a continuously-working apparatus inwhich the work need not cease, the clean-ups being made without stoppingthe work. The construction as here shown consists of a framework A, ofany suitable or desired construction or material, having the upper sidetimbers inclined at a considerable angle from one end to the other.Between these sides a sluice B is supported by resting upon small ballsor rollers, C, which lie in grooves or channels in transverse timbers onthe main frame and corresponding coincident grooves or channels madeupon timbers in the bottom of the sluice, so that the sluice may beoscillated from side to side within the exterior framework A withoutgiving it the tilting motion which is the essential feature in theoperation of a rocker. Within the sluice B are fitted a series of platesD, extending successively from one end to the other of the sluice, sothat when in place they form a practically supplemental bottom upon themain bottom of the sluice. Each of these plates D has at the lower endatransverse riflie E, and the plates are covered with a silvered oramalgamated metal plate F. Upon the top of each of the riffles E andextending toward the upper end of the inclined sluice are the metalplates G, which project over the metallic plates F and essentiallyparallel with them, thus forming inclosed chambers beneath the platesGand on the upper side of the riffles E. With this construction each ofthe plates D, with its gold-saving bottom F and inclosed chamber andriftle G, may be removed independently of any of the others, and byhaving a surplus section to replace the one removed the operation can becarried on continuously while the removed riffle is being cleaned upready to be again returned. This enables me to make a continuousoperation instead of an interrupted one, and much more work can becompleted than when there are delays for the purpose of cleaning up.

Above the first riffle, at the uppermost end of the sluice, is a screenH. Upon the upper end of the sluice is supported a receiving-box I, madewith the lower edges of the sides inclined to coincide with theinclination of the sluice and the front and back ends correspondinglymade, so as to form the box. Within this box is an inclined screen J,which may extend above and parallel with the screen H or transversely ofthe sluice.

I prefer to make the box I in two parts, the upper part being removable,as shown.

At the discharge end of the screen J is fixed a gate K, hinged in linewith the lower edge of the screen, and this gate is turned up into avertical position, thus forming a closure for that side of thereceiving-box I as long as it is desired to retain the material. in thebox above the screen. Whenever it is desired to discharge this coarsermaterial, the gate K is let down to stand at an incline approximatingthat of the screen J, and the material previously retained upon thescreen will then pass out over the inclined chute K. If this chute isarranged at the side of the box I, it will discharge upon one side ofthe apparatus; but in some cases it is found preferable to connect itwith the front, in which case the screen J will then incline in thedirection of the incline of the chute B, and when the plate K is letdown it will be so disposed as to discharge the material'over the lowerend of the chute.

The operation will then be as follows: The material being delivered intothe receiver or box I falls upon the screen J, and as the box partakesof the shaking motion given to the sluice B or chute the material willbe agitated upon the screen, the finer particles falling through uponthe screen H and the coarser particles being retained until such time asthe gate K is opened, when they, too, may be discharged. During theirretention they can be carefully examined, and if there are any particlesof gold too large to pass through the screen they may then be separatedfrom the worthless gravel by hand. Material falling through the screen Jupon the screen H, which is finer, is subjected to a second separation,so that the finer gold will fall upon the uppermost of the amalgamatedplates F and with it any fine worthless material. The agitation,together with the supply of water which is allowed to flow continuouslythrough the sluice, will separate the dirt and worthless particles,which will flow over the riffle into the next successive compartment andso on. Any gold and heavy valuable material will either be amalgamatedupon the plate F or will settle into the pocket beneath the plate G,which projects from the upper edge of the rifiies E, and inspection willshow when this riffle is sufliciently charged to make it necessary toremove the section for the purpose of cleaning up.

The material which passes over the screen H falls into the secondsection of the rifiie and a separation of any gold contained in thisportion will occur in this and the succeeding riffles, the object of thesupplemental screen II being to subdivide the work, so that not all thematerial needs to pass through all of the rifiies. This subdivision maybe carried to any desired extent by means of screens of difierentdegrees of fineness, each discharging into one section of the rifiles.

The shaking motion of the sluice B may be produced in any suitable ordesired manner.

This apparatus being small and intended as a hand apparatus is hereshown as provided with a crank or eccentric shaft L, having upon one enda sprocket-wheel M, around which passes a chain N. The chain also passesaround a second sprocket-wheel O of sufficiently larger size so thatwhen it is turned by means of a crank P or other suitable device ormechanism the necessary speed will be given to the crank or eccentricshaft L. This shaft may have upon its end an cecentric or crank havingany suitable or desired throw, which may also be made adjustable, ifdesired, and by means of a pitinan Q, connecting with a lug R upon thebottom of the table B, the necessary oscillation is produced, but norocking motion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a gold-washin g apparatus, the combination of a supporting-frame,a chute mounted at an incline thereon and comprising a main bottomhaving a stop or abutment at its lower end and a supplemental bottomformed of independent removable sections resting upon the main bottomand abutting endwise with the lowermost section abutting against saidabutment or bar, each of said sections having a transverse riflie-bar atits lower end, a superposed amalgamated plate, and a plate fixed to theupper portion of the transverse riffle and projecting upwardly to form achamber between itself and the amalgamated plate.

2. In a gold-washing apparatus having an inclined sluice composed of amain bottom and asupplemental bottom formed of sections abutting endwiseand each provided with an amalgamated plate and retaining-chamber, areceiving-box at the upper end of the sluice, having an inclined screenby which the coarser material is first separated from the finer, and asecond screen at the head of the sluice and directly over the uppermostsection, and inclined in the direction of the length of the sluice,whereby the material is again subdivided, said box having a sectionhinged along one side so that it may be let down. in line with thescreen to discharge the coarser material exterior to the sluice.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE II. CHICK. Witnesses:

S. II. NOURSE, JEssIE C. BRODIE.

